At the summit of Pedra Bonita, a granite mountain perched by the sea in Rio de Janeiro, where one can glimpse several neighbourhoods of this unique and enchanting city, there exists an energetic vortex ideal for reflection and meditation. These are crucial for reclaiming mental clarity and emotional balance, essential to ensuring that daily situations do not become sources of intrinsic entrapment. Lenses and filters must always be kept clean and purified so that we can accurately interpret reality without being contaminated by dense vibrations that ultimately prevent us from moving forward. Sometimes, life’s storms will reach us. They serve to reveal how we have processed our experiences. They cannot be avoided; however, how we handle them makes all the difference. Depending on which ideas and emotions we engage with, they can become the helm and billowing sails propelling us forward, or they can manifest as rebellion and mutiny, leaving us adrift in the seas of personal misunderstandings. We are both the vessel and the crew of our own journey.
I was living through a difficult time. Sequential storms had brought me to the brink of losing control. Irritation, impatience, and intolerance had begun to dominate my reactions. Everything and everyone seemed to conspire against the peace I so deeply desired. The world appeared to provoke me. I parked my car in the small lot at the entrance to the ramp for free-flight enthusiasts and walked the final stretch to the plateau of the mountain. I have a habit of seeking out places of power, as Starry Song taught me, whenever I need to reconnect with the essence that resides within me. A corner in my house where I say my morning prayers, certain temples and churches where I feel at peace, and natural spots where the Earth’s energies are palpable are resources I always rely on. At the top of Pedra Bonita, I have a distinct sense of standing before a portal between dimensions. It is up to me to seize the moment.
I settled myself and detached from the beautiful yet challenging city pulsating around me. My gaze fixed on the point where shades of blue merged as the sky melted into the sea. The melody of the wind and the cries of seagulls formed a perfect soundtrack. I closed my eyes to better hear all the voices of consciousness—educating some, following the guidance of others. We all carry within us both a sage and a tormentor; knowing which to listen to often defines the difference between good and evil, ascent and fall.
I cannot say how much time passed. “Knowing oneself is the fundamental step to evolution,” a voice rose above the others. Though unfamiliar, it was not entirely foreign to me. I opened my eyes. It was Cléo, the witch. Tall and slender, with black hair and a colourful dress fluttering in the wind, she sat beside me without asking for permission. I smiled. I remarked that it was not always easy to discover the aspects within ourselves that needed understanding and transformation. She nodded, as if she knew exactly what I meant, and said:
“It’s not easy because you cloak the truth in layers of ideas that justify your inertia and mistakes while hiding yourself from yourself. Far from essence, distant from truth. As long as you dress reality in the garments of others’ alignments, as it is most convenient to your, irritation and discouragement will rule your days. Do not complain about anything or anyone. Facts and people are what they are; they are beyond your dominion and control. Your responsibility is the choices that pertain to your life—nothing more. Wise people focus on refining their own actions; fools exhaust themselves trying to control outcomes. Your actions are the only tools at your disposal; results belong to circumstances beyond your power. Accept this, and you’ll understand that impatience and anxiety are creations of your own making.”
She shrugged, as if stating the obvious, and added:
“A good artist does not lament over an unfinished masterpiece. Instead, they continue refining it. This is the endless work of countless existential cycles—a genuine source of joy for the wise, an unbearable burden for the foolish.”
I said that while her words made sense, they did not help me identify the personal traits in my personality and temperament that required transformation. I needed to find them. Cléo smiled faintly, as if she had been waiting for this question, and asked, “What bothers you?”
Without hesitation, I answered that many things did. It was impossible for me not to be annoyed by various events and the behaviour of certain people. Cléo smiled again and said, “You’ve just discovered it.”
Seeing my astonishment, she elaborated generously: “People or situations only have the power over us that we grant them. If they do, it’s because we’ve formed mistaken ideas about who they are and the real impact they have on our lives.”
I disagreed, arguing that some people are insufferable and some events are appalling. The witch nodded and explained: “Everything and everyone is as they are. Events arise from the actions of people who act according to their abilities and understanding—including you and me. Look back, and you won’t need to go far to see how you could have made different and better choices at various moments but didn’t manage to. The same applies to everyone. I cannot demand from anyone the perfection I cannot offer myself.”
She clarified further: “This does not mean condoning others’ errors. Have compassion to lovingly understand others’ struggles without encouraging them. Show the possibility of different perspectives and paths. Bring light to darkness; never feed shadows with impatience or intolerance.”
After a pause, she continued: “If situations and individuals bother you, it’s a clear sign of something within yourself that remains unresolved. Facts and people will never entirely suit your liking. I’m not saying you need to approve the actions you disagree with, but you must process them internally so they cannot rob you of your peace.”
She gestured with her hands to emphasize her point and said: “Unless you permit it, nothing and no one can dislodge you from your axis of light. Learn to wield this power. It will help you harness storms to your advantage.”
When I argued that no one wishes for storms, the witch raised her eyebrows and corrected me: “That’s not what I said. I said that problems, in varying degrees of difficulty, are inherent to everyone. However, they can serve as schools or prisons—it’s a personal choice. That’s the power of choice in dealing with everything and everyone. It’s up to each of us to find the jailer or the teacher behind every annoyance, frustration, or challenge.”
I repeated that, in practice, theory is not simple. Cléo spread her arms as if to say I was refusing to move forward and explained:
“Difficulty arises only when consciousness does not stand naked before the mirror of truth. As long as you dress it in ideas that delay the renovation of some poorly constructed corner within yourself, you will live amid unnecessary sadness and irritation.”
Pointing a finger at my head, she added: “As long as you insist on controlling outcomes and events, you will suffer. By trying to interfere so that people choose according to your understanding, you will suffer. Live for the joy of your best action; that is all that belongs to you. This is the root of lightness and freedom. Everything else, though around you and capable of affecting you in some way, is ultimately outside your control. You need to understand that boats with ballast and rudders have balance and direction to go through the fiercest storms. Better yet, they know how to use the wildest winds to reach unimaginable distances and destinations.”
I questioned how to have ballast and rudder, balance and direction. The witch responded promptly: “Truth and virtues.” Without me needing to ask, she added: “Truth is the last frontier reached by your consciousness up to this moment. Never abandon it in exchange for privileges, comfort, or out of fear. The non-negotiable cannot be negotiated. However, never forget that truth, like everything else in the universe, is in constant expansion. Stay alert not to miss opportunities and hinder your growth through mere stubbornness, pride, or vanity.” She paused before continuing: “Authentic instruments of love and wisdom, virtues are indispensable navigation tools for destinations of light. Without humility, simplicity, compassion, sincerity, meekness, firmness, gentleness, courage, among many others, the traveller will inevitably be swept away by life’s storms.”
I argued that her reasoning had a flaw. I said that happiness seemed impossible to me when I saw so much misery and tragedy all around. Cléo arched her lips in a gentle smile, as if she had expected the question, and explained: “This planet is an excellent school for forming many sages; a college where great masters have already taught. However, it has an unusual teaching method, which few students are accustomed to. Mistakes are the forge of learning, never with the intent to punish, but always to use the best feelings for constant refinement of thought clarity. Perception and sensitivity become more refined after each lesson transformed within, to then be shared with the world through a new way of being and living. To feel better is to understand more; to love is to improve—these are genuine concepts that serve to reveal and shape the truth, not only in the mind but also in the heart. Thus, little by little, as the soil becomes fertile, the sage, still a seed within all of us, will bloom.”
I reminded her that earlier that week, hundreds of thousands of people had attempted to cross the Mediterranean to Europe to escape the deplorable conditions in Africa. During the colonial era, Europe economically drained Africa, leaving a debt still waiting to be settled. Yet, almost all doors of solidarity remained closed. That disturbed me. Cléo nodded in agreement and said: “We can and must feel the world’s pain so that, in some way, within our possibilities, we can alleviate others’ needs and suffering. Never suffer someone else’s pain. That creates imbalance and contributes to the spread of darkness. The Law of Karma, through multiple reincarnation cycles, is an effective method of justice and learning. Events and coincidences are tools of karma. If someone has erred, they must understand and rectify it. Students are treated with the sweetness and firmness appropriate to their willingness to transform and evolve, to love more and better.” She paused, searching for the best words, and explained: “Who can guarantee that the Africans who today desperately long to leave their countries are not the Europeans of yesteryear, who enriched themselves at the expense of Africa’s misery? Now they wish to return home but are denied entry. They must live under the complicated conditions they themselves created in the past. They showed no responsibility or love. They need to feel in order to understand. Only love can open many of the doors on the Path. As an ancient sage once said, all power resides in the mind, but far from the heart, one can never go beyond who they are.”
I asked if the Europeans were right to close their doors to Africans. The witch hardened her expression and corrected me: “I did not say that. On the contrary, there is already too much suffering. The peoples of Europe are presented with a wonderful opportunity to practice empathy and solidarity—two valuable virtues—by striving to welcome these brothers and sisters who suffer so much. At the same time, they must work to economically structure Africa. Let there be perception and sensitivity to understand the evolutionary equation presented by this incredible school. Without a proper solution, the cycle will repeat. No lesson will be forgotten; no one will be left behind.”
I asked if her words were a hypothesis or reality. Cléo didn’t answer.
The witch returned to the core of the conversation: “If you pay attention, you’ll understand that events themselves cause no disturbance; the way we interpret them is what generates all discomfort. Our experiences are shaped by the ideas we construct about who we are and how the world should work. This ends up determining the interpretation we give to each situation. If something or someone bothers you, it means there’s an ill-constructed idea within you; then you learn and transform. This concept cannot serve to make you complicit in others’ possible errors, which would be a shadowy pact with wrongdoing, but to prevent those errors from affecting you to the point of extinguishing your light, as it happens when you let yourself be consumed by irritation or sadness. Thus, all situations lived become either a school or a prison, depending on how we construct the events, whatever they may be.” Cléo paused before concluding her reasoning: “When I get irritated, sad, or upset, or feel obstructed by something or someone, the responsibility lies with no one but myself. It’s my failure to gain the best perspective, to construct the luminous idea that reveals what I don’t yet know about myself. The ability to achieve the best understanding and extract the proper lesson from each situation is the genuine source of happiness. That is the power of life.”
I decided to vent. Many things were upsetting me during those days. What bothered me the most was my girlfriend’s cheating. We had met a little over six months ago at an event for advertising agencies. We travelled and had fun together. We liked laughing together. She had never expressed any dissatisfaction with our relationship. A few days ago, I learned that she was also in a relationship with a friend of mine. A double cheating. I said nothing to either of them. My anger and disappointment couldn’t fit into words. I distanced myself. I couldn’t even go to the same places where I usually met mutual friends. I felt ashamed, I confessed.
With a calm tone in her voice, Cléo asked me: “What did you do wrong?”
“Nothing,” I answered honestly. She continued: “Then why the shame?”
I didn’t know how to respond. Or rather, I did, but I hesitated to admit it. I feared mockery, the vulgar sarcasm typical in such situations. There’s an idea that has accompanied us since ancient times, that the person cheated on is inferior, incompetent, and incapable, deserving all ridicule. That’s how it often happens. Of course, the greater the pride, the more humiliated the individual feels. The shadows sell us the illusion of power, which actually unbalances and weakens us when put to the test. A humble, simple, and compassionate person will always be balanced and strong, placing themselves in a position where humiliation can never reach them, whatever the circumstances.
I knew all of this, but I didn’t know how to escape the labyrinth whose walls were built with the mortar of resentment and shame.
The witch helped me: “Betrayal, in any of its forms, reveals the traitor’s inability to uphold a commitment. It reflects a lack of honesty—the virtue of handling truth with others, one of the pillars of fair and, consequently, prosperous relationships. Not everyone is ready to face the truth about themselves, especially when it comes to desires, vanity, convenience, and privileges.” She looked at me seriously and said, “No one becomes lesser for trusting someone. We use the metrics and standards by which we measure ourselves. Long or short, each has their own. Trust is a virtue tied to purity because it shows that the foundation of that relationship is rooted in the light of the one who trusts. The one who fails to take the opportunity to be illuminated loses, choosing instead to move in darkness.”
“Beyond that, embrace your compassion—the virtue of lovingly understanding others’ difficulties—so you can forgive. Many don’t know how to do differently or better; others still cannot walk in the light. Forgiveness, the art of remembering events without resentment, will free you from the past, transforming yesterday’s prison into today’s school.”
She continued: “You’ve lost nothing. Neither she nor he proved themselves worthy companions for your journey. As for those who enjoy belittling others in such delicate moments with vulgar comments, they are even cruder—immature egos in dormant souls. Leave them to their own malice and move on. Others like you await further down the path. Do not doubt the Way.”
Furrowing her brow, she added: “Now, dismantle the outdated ideas with which you’ve always approached betrayal. Allow a new perspective to build a different, secure stance. You gave your best—that was the right action. Don’t let anyone’s behaviour make you react beneath who you can be. There’s only defeat when we let our light be extinguished. If others acted out of shadow, it’s not your concern. Don’t let their darkness reach you. The truth and virtues you embody are your ballast and helm. Rely on these elements. You won’t lack strength, balance, or direction. Understand that the storm was a blessing; it made you reevaluate a course that, if kept longer, would have caused greater harm. It will also intensify the power of your light. Be grateful. And smile. Joy is the virtue of those who can find the good in every situation. Those who do so are the true learners of life. The rest are still trapped in their misunderstandings.”
Night was falling. The witch gestured for me to close my eyes. I understood it was time to deconstruct outdated ideas that only served to fuel my suffering. Without this transformation, there would be no space to build a new understanding capable of freeing me from myself. All suffering is a misguided emotional construct. I heard many voices talking within me. We are many in one. Some still insisted on vengeance—though not violent, these were unconfessed desires typical of such situations—so that someday they, my then-girlfriend and friend, might also suffer or need me for some reason. Cases where generosity is a disguised form of vengeance, where the true intent isn’t kindness but showcasing what they supposedly lost through their disloyalty. Feeding this idea is choosing to live in a dungeon for centuries. I explained to those voices that I needed to move forward, without dwelling on who they were, why they acted that way, or what they might do next. Evil belongs to the sender; the recipient must refuse to be imprisoned by it through hatred, sadness, annoyance, discomfort, or stagnation. Who others are should never have the power to destroy me. That’s only possible if I lack compassion and forgiveness—if I lack the humility and simplicity to rise above the urge to dominate others instead of surpassing myself. Movement alone is not enough; understanding the purpose and direction is indispensable.
I hold all power over who I am; none over anyone else. My existential prisons are represented by everything and everyone that bothers me. As long as they exist within me, I will not be truly free. Fools seek to change others and control the outcomes; the wise transform themselves as an indispensable step toward the light. Fools have slingshots; masters learn to soar beyond the reach of stones.
I confronted my discomfort—shame. A feeling born of dishonour. While society mocks the betrayed and, in some cases, even exalts the betrayer, honour is rooted in dignity—the behaviour of those who treat others as they wish to be treated. If I desire good, it’s up to me to offer only good—nothing less. If my actions have always been guided by sincerity, honesty, kindness, and purity, dishonour was not mine. Therefore, neither was the shame. It was being handed to the wrong person. I had no reason to carry someone else’s burden. On deeper reflection, the traitor is always betraying themselves, denying their own honour and dignity, thus dimming their light. I had no reason to fear looking anyone in the eye. Truth and virtues had been my ballast and helm until now. They would continue to provide direction, balance, and strength. Those clinging to patterns of conflict and pain remain stuck in lamentation at the Way’s Gates. I was determined to maintain my firm resolve to move forward. Jars of honey awaited me.
I was enveloped by a genuine sense of vigour and serenity—a power anchored in softness and clarity. No one can stop us from moving forward when we align truth with virtues. I returned from this reflection as a ray of sunlight caressed my face. Dawn was breaking. I had spent the night searching for myself. In the distance, Cléo spun with the seagulls. Her flowing dress resembled wings. Typical of the moment when morning ends the night, I marvelled briefly at the sky’s unspeakable colours. When I looked back, the witch had vanished. The seagulls flew toward the endless sea.
Translated by Cazmilian Zórdic.